Dog Training Meets Fitness Tracking: Zoom Room and Fi Aim to Track Every Tail Wag

A new partnership that brings collars into the classroom

Zoom Room dog training and Fi have announced a partnership to roll Fi’s smart dog collars into Zoom Room locations across the country. The idea is simple: trainers and owners will be able to pair dogs’ activity and location data with in-person lessons, so trainers can see how a pet behaves outside class and owners get a clearer picture of progress.

This is not just a product placement. Zoom Room will integrate Fi collars into its group classes and private sessions, offering data-driven check-ins that go beyond what a trainer can observe in a single hour. The companies say the move will start with a staged rollout that begins as a pilot in select studios, then expands depending on demand and results.

What the Fi collar measures — and how it plugs into training

The Fi device is a collar-mounted tracker that combines GPS for location with sensors to monitor activity. That means it logs steps, rest time and bursts of intense movement, and can also show where a dog has been if it slips the leash and runs off. For trainers, the most useful pieces are the activity timeline and location alerts.

Integrating those feeds into Zoom Room’s programs lets trainers compare in-class behavior with day-to-day life. If a dog shows calm behavior during lessons but is restless at night, a trainer might adjust homework or suggest different reinforcement at home. If a dog pulls on walks and the collar logs repeated high-activity bursts, trainers can target leash work more aggressively.

Fi also offers notifications for potential safety issues, such as escape alerts when a dog leaves a predefined area. Zoom Room plans to use those features to teach owners about real-world risk management — for example, setting up safe zones at home or better recall practice after an escape episode.

Where owners will see this in practice and what it will cost

The companies say the launch will start with a pilot in a handful of Zoom Room studios this year. Participating locations will offer Fi-enabled classes and optional private sessions where trainers review collar data with owners. If the pilot goes well, the program will expand to many more franchises nationwide over the next 12 to 18 months.

Owners who want collar-enabled training will likely need to buy or rent a Fi collar and subscribe to Fi’s data service. Fi typically sells collars and charges a monthly subscription for GPS and cloud services; Zoom Room will add its own class fees on top of that. The firms have not announced bundled pricing yet, so costs will vary by studio and by whether the owner already has a Fi device.

What this means for owners and trainers day to day

For dog owners, the promise is clearer homework and measurable progress. Instead of guessing whether a leash exercise is working, owners will be able to show trainers objective data — like fewer high-activity spikes during walks or longer rest periods overnight. That can speed up corrective plans and make training feel more concrete.

Trainers get a tool that extends their view beyond class time. Behavioral issues that only appear at home or on walks can be spotted and addressed with targeted drills. For owners who worry about lost dogs, location alerts are a real comfort. Early testers also report that data can motivate owners to keep up with homework — seeing a week-to-week graph is more persuasive than a verbal reminder.

But this setup won’t help every case. Some dogs react to collars or to new gadgets on their necks. And data can sometimes be misleading; raw numbers don’t explain context, such as why a dog was more active one afternoon.

How this plays into the wider pet-tech trend — and the risks to watch

This partnership sits squarely in a growing pet-tech market: wearables, telehealth and subscription services aimed at pet owners. Franchises like Zoom Room give hardware makers a clear route to scale because they already meet thousands of owners every week. If the pilot proves that collars improve outcomes and class retention, more trainers and chains will follow.

That said, the arrangement raises practical concerns. Ongoing subscription costs can add up and change the economics of training for price-sensitive owners. Data and privacy are another issue: owners should know who can see location and health data, how long it’s stored, and what happens if they leave the franchise. Finally, trainers must avoid over-relying on cold data and remember that behavior work needs human judgment.

Overall, the Zoom Room–Fi tie-up is a useful next step for pet tech that could make training clearer and safer for many owners. It will work best for people ready to pay a little extra for data and for trainers who use the information thoughtfully rather than letting charts drive every decision.

Sources

• prnewswire.com